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Epsom Girls Grammar School has finally acknowledged a student complained about teacher Peter Thomas months before he had sex with another student.
When Mia* alleged Thomas was sexually aroused in class he denied it and the school said it found no grounds for action.
That same year, Thomas had sex with a music student and was later found guilty of serious misconduct and struck off as a teacher.
Epsom Girls Grammar School (EGGS) has finally acknowledged a student raised concerns about music teacher Peter Thomas months before it was alerted to a sexual relationship he was having with another student.
In response to an Official Information Act request, EGGS has confirmed to the Herald itdid receive two complaints relating to Thomas.
“The first complaint was made in February 2019 by ‘Student A’ relating to alleged conduct in 2018, which she stated was ongoing. Mr Thomas denied Student A’s allegations. The school investigated the complaint and concluded that it did not have grounds to take any action against Mr Thomas,” the school told the Herald.
Peter Thomas was found guilty of serious misconduct and struck off by the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal. Photo / Facebook 20 September 2024
The second complaint largely related to an inappropriate sexual relationship Thomas had with another pupil, and led to the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal finding him guilty of serious misconduct and striking him off as a teacher.
Student A — who the Herald has previously called Mia* — approached the Herald after she heard about an email sent to parents by EGGS principal Brenda McNaughton in September.
The principal’s email claimed that as soon as the school was made aware of “verified allegations” against Thomas “immediate action was taken”.
Mia told the Herald when she read the principal’s email she felt guilt and regret that her earlier complaint against Thomas had not prevented his later sexual misconduct against the second student.
“I felt sick,” she told the Herald at the time. “The school is trying to protect its image at this point.”
In her original complaint to the school, Mia had alleged Thomas was sexually aroused in class “more often than not”.
She said her concerns were initially met with sympathy and escalated to the deputy principal — but the school soon told her that returning to music lessons would not be an option.
Mia claimed she was told on February 22, 2019 there was not enough evidence to support her complaint about Peter Thomas, and the investigation would be closed.
She said she was later asked to sign a “student plan to maintain safety at school” which barred her from entering the music department. The Herald has seen this document. “[Mia] is not to go to the music department for any reason,” it directed.
“If [Mia] should happen to meet Mr Thomas by chance she will ignore him,” it said.
Mia also claimed the school told her she could no longer take Year 13 scholarship music — even if she studied alone outside the music department.
“It was crushing, I remember just feeling like, ‘Oh, yeah, my music career was definitely over’,” she told the Herald.
“I feel like wasted potential... If I had just stayed quiet I could have a career.”
She says the rest of the year was lonely as she had to lie to her peers that illness was stopping her from taking music.
Through his lawyer last month, Thomas told the Herald he denied and still denies the allegations by Mia, “they simply did not happen”, he said.
He confirmed the school investigated the complaint and said the allegations were not substantiated. “This was the finding of the school. I agreed with that finding” he said.
Peter Thomas. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Later that year, music teacher Peter Thomas began a sexual relationship with another student and he was subsequently found guilty of serious misconduct by the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal, censured and struck off as a teacher.
The tribunal evidence found in November Thomas “prevailed on [the student] to have sex with him, which ... was painful but to which she felt she could not say no”.
Via a spokesperson, EGGS principal Brenda McNaughton told the Herald she was unavailable for an interview.
“These historic allegations relate to a period before my appointment as principal. We all want our school, and all schools to be safe places where young people thrive and we constantly review our protocol to ensure it is as robust as possible for the protection of the girls” she said.
*Mia was under 18 when she made the accusation and her name has been changed to protect her identity.
Katie Harris is an Auckland-based journalist who covers social issues including sexual assault, workplace misconduct, crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2020.
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